Former Danish Prime Minister Claims Former French President Committed Sexual Assault Against Her

Former Danish Prime Minister Helle Thorning-Schmidt has accused former French President Valéry Giscard d'Estaing of sexual assault during a high-level meeting at the French Embassy in Copenhagen. The former female politician shared these details in her memoirs, as reported by France24.

The meeting took place under Giscard's presidency as part of a gathering of politicians aimed at drafting the European Union's constitution in 2002 or 2003. At that time, the French politician was no longer the president but had been participating in the sessions of France's Constitutional Council. Meanwhile, the Danish female politician had not yet been elected to the position of prime minister (which occurred in 2011); in the early 2000s, she had been a member of the European Parliament.

"I saw that Giscard d'Estaing sat next to me. He grabbed my thigh, reaching under the table. I moved and sat on a different bench," wrote Thorning-Schmidt. She admitted that at the time, she did not consider it sexual assault, although she was angered by the actions of the French politician.

Former French President Valéry Giscard d'Estaing passed away at the age of 94 in December 2020. The politician had been hospitalized in mid-November of that year due to heart failure complaints.